The present invention relates to data storage systems. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for design and fabrication of air bearing sliders for data storage devices.
Data storage devices store digital information on discs. Heads are supported relative to disc surfaces to read data from or write data to the discs. Heads include transducer elements which are supported on an air bearing slider. The air bearing slider includes a leading edge, a trailing edge and offset or raised bearing surfaces. Rotation of the discs of the data storage devices creates an air flow along the raised bearing surfaces of the air bearing slider from the leading to the trailing edge of the air bearing slider. Air flow along the raised bearing surfaces of the air bearing slider imparts a hydrodynamic force to support the slider above the disc surface for read/write operations.
Areal disc drive density is increasing requiring more control over dynamic operating parameters or design of the air bearing slider. Modeling techniques are used to analyze dynamic operating parameters for various air bearing designs. Modeling techniques analyze fly height, pitch, roll, altitude, sensitivity or other parameters for a particular air bearing design. Optimization of an air bearing design may take several design iterations. Prior modeling techniques are not well adapted to analyze operating parameters for multiple iterations of air bearing designs.
Raised bearing surfaces of an air bearing slider are fabricated by known masking and etching processes. Multiple tiered bearing surfaces are fabricated by multiple masking steps to form multiple offset or raised bearing surfaces. Multiple mask profiles are calculated or derived for each mask tier of the modeled bearing surface design to define mask surfaces for each mask tier. Calculation or derivation of the mask profiles and mask surfaces for each mask tier for the modeled air bearing design is time consuming and labor intensive. The present invention addresses these and other problems and offers solutions not recognized nor appreciated by the prior art.
The present invention relates to a system for modeling air bearing designs for heads of a data storage system. The modeling system includes user definable surface contours for mask surfaces. The system generates integrated surface functions for the mask surfaces based upon the user defined mask surface contours. The system includes user definable height or depth variables for the mask surface functions and the integrated surface functions and height or depth parameters for the mask surfaces are compiled to simulate a modeled air bearing structure for performance evaluation and analysis. The modeled mask surface functions and user defined height or depth parameters define mask tiers for slider fabrication of the modeled bearing structure. These and other features as well as advantages which characterize the present invention will be apparent upon reading of the following detailed description and review of the associated drawings.